He looks contemplative. "Hmmm. Maybe I'll rethink the crotchless panties." When I slap his arm, he smiles. "Have some faith, woman. Do you think I want my mother knowing how depraved I am when I'm with you? She'd have a fucking stroke. Don't worry, I have a kick-ass parent-friendly present for you. I'll save the edible massage oil and anal beads until we get home."
I drag him away from the window. "Glad to hear it. I haven't even wrapped the giant strap-on I bought to use on you." When all the color drains from his face, I laugh. "Joking. I've totally wrapped it. That enormous box under our tree? That's the Anal Intruder 3000. Nothing but state-of-the-art sodomy for the man I love."
He growls and kisses me. "You're not funny. I hope you know that. And for the record, no strap-ons. Ever. Just the thought of it has my sphincter running for cover." He throws his arm around me. "Now, stop torturing me so we can eat. I'm starving."
"But you ate all that casserole I made for lunch."
He gives me a sideways glance. "Yeah, but that was hours ago. Now I need seventeen steaks and a gallon of beer. A man cannot live on green bean casserole alone, no matter how ..." He clears his throat. "... delicious it is."
He thinks he's fooling me, but he's not. I know my food is terrible, and certainly not up to his high standards, but at least I'm not giving up, no matter how much he wishes I would.
We walk and chat for a while about where we're going to eat. When we pass a bookstore window, a lightbulb goes off in my brain. It reminds me of an amazing book I'd seen in a magazine a while ago. At the time, I was still in my Ethan-Holt-is-the-Devil frame of mind, so I turned the page so violently I ripped the paper. But our situation has changed, and now, it would be the perfect present to give him.
I turn to him. "Why don't you go on ahead to the restaurant? I'll be there in a few minutes. I think I know what to get you."
He leans down and gives me a soft kiss. "Am I going to like it?"
"I think so."
"Is it a certificate for unlimited blow jobs?"
"No."
"Really? You said I'd like it. What I like more than anything is your beautiful mouth wrapped around my big, hard –"
I push him away and laugh. "You're ridiculous. Go. I'll be there soon."
He walks backward and shrugs. "Fine. But don't say I didn't give you any gift ideas. I'm a simple man, Cassie. Easily pleased. When in doubt, go for the BJ. It's an Ethan pleaser, every single time."
I chuckle as I head into the bookstore. Years ago, if someone had told me that Ethan Holt would make me smile until my face ached, I'd have dismissed them as nuts. But now? He's everything I could have ever wanted in a man. My best friend. My rock. My ridiculously hot sex god.
A bell rings above the door as I step inside. It's not one of those giant book/gift/toy superstores. It's small and cramped with shelves, but it's impeccably clean and organized.
There's a woman behind the counter who looks like Betty Grable. Her hair's carefully curled. Bright red lips. She's wearing blue cat-eye glasses and reading a book that's sitting on the counter. As I approach, she glances up. "Hi. May I help you?"
I smile. "I hope so. I saw a book a while ago in a magazine. It was Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, but it had a really cool cover. Dark with a heart in the middle."
She smiles and nods. "Oh, yeah. I know the one. The company who published it put out all of Willy's most popular works. Great cover art."
She comes out from behind the counter and gestures for me to follow. "I only have a couple left." We're almost at the back of the store when she stops to scan the shelves. "Ah, yeah. Here they are." She pulls out a stack of books and hands them to me.
"Oh, wow. These are amazing." The top book is Hamlet, and the cover is a man's face reflected in a shattering mirror.
"The publisher did a great job," the lady says. "Edgy stuff. Sold real well."
She goes quiet as I inspect the stack. The others are Much Ado About Nothing and Macbeth, but at the bottom of the pile is exactly what I'm after. Romeo & Juliet is scrawled in elegant handwriting at the top of the cover, and in the center is an incredible image of a shattering glass heart. It doesn't escape me how perfectly that image sums up Ethan and me. We've both spent time living like we were a collection of broken pieces. These days, we still may rattle when you shake us, but it's safe to say we're more whole together than we ever were apart.
I run my finger over the beautifully imperfect heart and smile. "I'll take it."
"Want that gift-wrapped, sweetie?"
"Yes, please."
I leave feeling smug about how perfect my gift is. I don't mean to be competitive, but there's no way Ethan will find a better present than this. He's going to love it.
By the time I make it to the restaurant, it's packed. I pull off my coat and gloves as the hostess comes over. "Hi. I'm meeting my fiancéee." Yeah, never really getting used to saying that word in relation to Ethan. "He's tall. Dark hair. Probably said something inappropriate to you."
She smiles. "Oh, yeah. I know the one. We're slammed right now, so I told him to wait at the bar, and I'd call him as soon as I had a table ready."
"Thanks."